UK PM Starmer Calls for Tougher Action to Protect Children on Social Media

LONDON — Jan 19 (GeokHub) British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday that stronger measures are needed to protect children online, following a global backlash over Elon Musk’s Grok AI chatbot generating non-consensual sexual images.

Speaking to reporters, Starmer said the government was actively considering additional steps to strengthen safeguards on social media platforms and emerging AI tools.

“We need to do more to protect children, and that’s why we’re looking at a range of options,” Starmer said. “No options are off the table.”

AI Image Scandal Triggers Renewed Scrutiny

The comments come days after Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI acknowledged concerns around Grok’s image-generation features. The company said it had made changes to prevent the chatbot from editing images of real people into revealing clothing, such as swimwear.

xAI also said it had blocked users in certain regions from generating images of people in revealing clothing where such content is illegal, though it did not specify which jurisdictions were affected.

The incident has intensified global debate over how quickly AI tools are being deployed compared with the pace of regulation, particularly when minors are at risk.

UK Tightens Laws on Non-Consensual Images

Britain recently passed legislation making the creation of non-consensual sexual images a criminal offence, extending existing laws that already banned their distribution.

The government has said the expanded law is designed to close loopholes created by advances in artificial intelligence, including so-called “deepfake” imagery.